The Ultimate Price, between D2 & D3
by mytruecolors
Summary: All the characters before S3 are still in the picture, and there's a new threat that we didn't know about - the suspense continues.
1. 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM

**Authors Note & Disclaimer; **Unfortunately, I do not own 24. If I did, I guarantee this story would be 10x better. I attempted to make my own season, as I've always had a few ideas going through my head. Reviews = EXTREMELY appreciated!  
Another note: everything that happens within each chapter has a reason behind it. There will never be something useless and unnecessary.\

So I hope you enjoy, and I'll keep updating...if I get enough positive reviews, I'll probably post the entire story.

**Day 2 ½: 9:00 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.**

_9:00:00 A.M.  
_All was hectic within the Counter Terrorist Unit of Los Angeles, California. Hands typed away on the keyboard as fast as they could, and everything went out of control while all its workers tried to uncover whether the day's events were that of a terrorists, or just an unfortunate coincidence.  
"CTU, Chloe O'Brian speaking." said the new technical analyst, looking as though she were trying not to explode from the stress. "Uh, yeah, let me patch you through." Chloe pressed a few buttons and was instantly transferred to the director's office.  
"Almeida," said a voice through the phone.  
"Tony, Ryan Chappelle is on the phone. He says it's about the crashes."  
A groan was heard, and the director finally spoke again. "Put him through."

Tony Almeida sat in his office, unable to leave for anything due to all the work he had. He felt all sorts of emotions running through his head, such as confusion, unknowing, anger, and most of all – anxiety. He had walked through the doors that day, the love of his life holding his hand, hoping that it would be just another normal, boring day at CTU. But, of course, his wishes had let him down. He proceeded to reach into his pocket and pull out a square box, opening it with one flick of his finger. Nestled securely in its velvet case, a bright and glorious ring glittered in all sorts of place. Tony looked down below at the rest of his employees and focused on one particular one: Michelle Dessler. Mesmerized by her beauty, he looked back at the ring and hoped she would like the simplicity of it. She loved simple things, as he knew all too well.  
Suddenly Ryan Chappelle's voice echoed through the speakerphone, reminding Tony of what he should be doing. He slipped the ring back into his pocket and picked up the phone, avoiding any eavesdroppers lurking on the outside.  
"What is it, Chappelle? I'm really busy." _'Yeah, and you were just looking at an engagement ring, what a great way to spend your time.' _He thought, rubbing his forehead to try and hold back the massive headache approaching.  
"We've got a bigger problem – we found out what the cause of the first plane crash was."  
Instantly sitting up, Agent Almeida listened intently. "What?"  
"Someone managed to hack into the flight's system. They shut down the oxygen leading to the pilot's cabin, and they went unconscious before anyone noticed. We're assuming this is what happened with the second plane as well." said Chappelle, who worked at division rather than at Counter Terrorist Unit. His position ranking remained ahead of Tony Almeida, but oh no, that did not stop him from being the pain in that ass that he was.  
"So, what, is it over or can we expect another crash?"  
"That's the thing, we haven't received any demands or phone calls justifying who did this, or why. We have no idea what's going to happen."  
Tony's eyes widened at the slightest in worry, and he turned to the TV within his office. A news broadcast speaking of the first crash showed, indicating that there hadn't been any survivors. He wondered what panic would ensue once the second crash became broadcasted.  
Ryan's voice came through the phone again. "Almeida, these people have the ability to bring down every one of the two-thousand planes in the sky by tomorrow."  
…_9:07:32_

_9:12:15  
_Jack Bauer sat in his home, trying to get away from the stress of the world. The TV screen showed images of the most recent plane crash, stating that the reasons for the crash were unknown at this point. He knew better. He knew that somewhere in the government, most likely CTU, they were working on something important – this plane crash was no accident. Within the next month, Jack would be undercover with the Salazar family on a special mission. He'd like to spend the last days of normality for a while in peace, and no one was going to take that from him.  
Just as those thoughts crossed his mind, the phone rang. He ignored it, leaning back and letting the rings continue on.  
_'You've reached Bauer, leave a message and I'll get back to you.'_ said his familiar answering machine, and a voice he knew all too well spoke. "Jack, it's Tony. I know you're there, pick up." It remained silent for a few moments until he finally decided that there was know getting around it, Almeida knew Jack too good for his own liking.  
Picking up the phone, he couldn't help but sound aggravated. "What do you want? I have a few days off, if you'll recall."  
"Jack," Tony began, and Jack instantly softened. This wasn't just any regular call. "There hasn't just been one plane crash, there've been two. There's a group of terrorists who have the ability to cut off oxygen to the pilot's cabin, and even the rest of the plane. We need your help."  
Oddly, he wasn't surprised by what he'd just heard. "You always do, I'll be there in 20 minutes."  
After pressing 'end', Jack immediately dialed another number and waited for the dial tone. A few ring passed, and finally someone answered.  
"Hello?" said the girly tone; it sounded rushed.  
"Kim, honey, are you alright?" His fatherly instincts always kicked in, constantly fearing for his daughter's life.  
"Yeah, dad, I'm fine. I have to catch a flight, and it's delayed, and everything is so hectic so –"  
Her father cut her off, the sound in his voice pressing. "No, Kim, you can't get on that plane!" Jack's worst fears were coming alive again – this had only happened a few others times; the main one being when his wife, Teri, and daughter were kidnapped. The same day Teri had been brutally murdered…he tried to shake away the painful memory.  
"Why not? Dad, I have to take this so I can get into that computer class. You're the one who urged me to take it in the first place!" She was yelling now, and he tried to calm down so she would listen.  
"You're not listening to me, there's a threat against all –"  
It was her turn to cut him off. "You're so paranoid about everything, I'm going to be fine. My flight's taking off within the next twenty minutes, and I'll be on the ground within two after that. I'll talk to you then." She hung up on her father, and Jack became even more frustrated.  
He attempted to redial, only to find that she'd turned off her phone. "DAMNIT!" Jack yelled, throwing the phone down. He could not, no, _would_ not almost lose his daughter again. After he lost his wife, she refused to speak to him because it "hurt too much" and he'd just recently gotten his daughter back.  
He rushed upstairs to pack all the things he needed, including his gun and ID badge. If there was any chance of stopping another attack, Jack would be sure that his daughter was safe…no matter what.

Back at CTU, Chloe O'Brian typed furiously away at her computer. It was difficult being so new, yet everyone she worked with seemed so incompetent. Honestly, how difficult was it to work a computer properly? Not difficult at all, but now she seemed to be giving herself reasons to blame her stress on her co-workers, rather than the threats against the country. Suddenly Brandon Hughes approached, he being the last person she wanted to talk to.  
"Chloe, could you send the feed of all the planes to my computer?" said Brandon, tapping his fingers on the desk impatiently. She typed away on her computer, ignoring him as if he weren't even there. "O'Brian, are you deaf? I asked you a question."  
She turned to him, an irritated look in her eyes. "Uh, that's not going to happen, it's not what you're supposed to be doing."  
He glared at her, obviously angry at her blunt personality. "Just do it, okay? I have to make sure that the planes had a normal flight track to confirm the reasoning of the crashes."  
"You still aren't getting what you don't really need."  
Brandon turned off her monitor with the press of a button and she looked at him, getting more and more irritated. "Fine, I'll send it, can you just go away now?" He nodded and walked away, looking triumphant while O'Brian just looked pissed.  
The workers of Counter Terrorist Unit continued to hustle around, not once stopping to fraternize – other than Lindsey Daniels and Brandon. Chloe looked over to see the two of them pathetically flirting, and it made her sick. They had work to do, could they not see that? Well, she would not waste a second of what could be work time.  
"Michelle, could you come up here please?" Tony asked over the phone, and she replied with a quick yes before hanging up. He looked at the box within the palm of his hand again, sighing. Part of him wished he could just propose now and get it over with, but that was unacceptable. Michelle deserved the best, so how she fell for a guy like him…he'd never understand that part.  
"Yes, Tony?" said Agent Dessler, knocking and then entering without confirmation. "What is it?"  
He inconspicuously slipped the box back into his pocket, before standing up and walking over to her. "Chappelle's coming to monitor what we're doing."  
She looked at him, her eyebrows crinkled in confusion. Tony almost melted right then and there at how adorable she was, but then recomposed himself after realizing that now was, most certainly, not the time. "But you're the director, you can handle what we're doing."  
"Not if there's another crash, and the terrorists create a mass panic."  
"You can handle anything, and everyone here knows that."  
He smirked and pushed one of her loose curls out of the way. Kissing her on the forehead, Michelle smiled and wrapped her arms around him. Both of them wished they could stay in that moment forever, as if everything happening down below no longer existed. "Are we still on for our date tonight?" That was the only thing keeping her through the tough day; the excitement that she'd have her Tony all to herself later on.  
He whispered in her ear, the obvious stress in his voice. "Sweetheart, I don't know…we've got a threat against the nation on our hands, and this day is only just beginning. I have a feeling it's going to get a lot worse."  
The box in his pocket suddenly seemed to weigh him down, as if it were a thousand pounds. Oh, shit, today was going to be a long day.  
_...9:24:49_

_9:28:24  
_"Mr. President, Tony Almeida is on line one for you."  
"Patch him through." answered President Palmer, his voice flat and emotionless. It'd only been a little over a year since the threat of a nuclear bomb, and he could only hope that today wouldn't be nearly as tragic. Two plane crashes had already sent the white house into a spiral as everyone rushed around, attempting to calm to press and another multitude of things.  
"This is Almeida, Mr. President." A voice said on speakerphone.  
"Go ahead; is there an update on what caused the crashes? F.B.I. was working on it, if I'm correct."  
"It's no longer their concern, sir. The investigation has been turned to CTU now."  
"Why on earth is that? You work with things involving terrorists." Silence. "Agent Almeida, are you implying that these crashes are the act of a terrorist?"  
"I'm not implying, Mr. President, there's a threat against the nation." Tony sighed in exasperation before continuing. "The reason for the flight's going down is that these terrorists got control of a device that allows them to access the oxygen tanks. They shut off the release of oxygen to the pilots, and they go unconscious before anyone can even react."  
David Palmer took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead, realizing what they were dealing with. These people had the ability to bring down any plane they wanted…all within twenty-four hours. "What are we doing about this, Mr. Almeida?"  
"Sir, we believe bringing in Jack Bauer is our best option at this point."  
And how could the president disagree? Jack Bauer had saved his life on several occasions, and he could only be described as nothing short of a hero. "Anything else?" He tried to hide the frustration from his voice, but he couldn't deny it: any attack on his country felt personal.  
"We won't know until Agent Bauer arrives."  
"Alright, well keep me updated." David Palmer ended the call and, as if on cue, his chief of staff stepped in.  
"David, I think it'd be best if we held a press conference." His chief of staff, however, was also his brother.  
The fact that Wayne Palmer had just named the president as otherwise went unnoticed, and David nodded. "If they haven't figured out about the second crash by now, they will very soon. We don't want that panic to spread."  
"I'll set it up."

"That's right." A woman said. She and another woman, both dressed in familiar flight attendant outfits, whispered in hushed tones as if they were trying to hide something. Kim Bauer held a magazine in her lap, flipping the pages impatiently with a million thoughts running through her head. First, the feeling of anxiety that she'd yelled at her father. Experience had told her that whenever she argued with her father, something horrible happened – of course, most of the time he partly caused it.  
"So, wait, why aren't they shutting down all the airports?"  
As one of the women said this, Kim Bauer perked up. What would be the cause for shutting down airports, other than a matter of national security?  
"I don't know, but we're taking off either way. I just wish we had some reassurance that our flight or any companion flights weren't the next target."  
That was too much, she had to interrupt. "Excuse me, what are you two talking about?"  
The two gave her a dirty look, and Kim couldn't help but notice that one of them had lipstick smeared all over her teeth. "Miss, it's impolite to eavesdrop." With that, they disappeared and left her in a daze. Had her father been right?  
Without wasting any time, she grabbed her bag and quickly made her way through the isles. She managed to find a flight attendant that wasn't angry at her for snooping, and tried to ask her question without sounding terrified. "Excuse me, but I need to get off this flight." Kim quickly tried to come up with a reason, so as they wouldn't suspect her of any criminal acts of some sort. "It seems my boss needs me somewhere else, he put me on the wrong flight or something. Bosses, right?" She tried to smile innocently, so as to get herself off the plane as quickly as possible.  
The flight attendant smiled back, but that was probably due to the fact they always had to smile – that was there job. "I'm so sorry, the doors are closed…is there any way we can arrange for a flight back once you've landed? My apologies for the mix-up."  
She could see the fear behind the woman's eyes; every worker on the flight knew. She knew about the terrorist attacks, and just how large the chances were that their plane could be attacked. Defeated, Kim walked back to her seat and sat down with a sigh. Instructions about oxygen masks and etc. came on through the intercom as they began to take off, and everyone else seemed completely calm. Hopefully, as scheduled, they would land within two hours.  
_…9:40:53_

_9:44:32  
_Jack Bauer walked into CTU for the first time in a few weeks, as he'd had to go away in order to prepare his undercover operation with the Salazar's. It felt unfamiliar, especially since he'd didn't know what was going on in every inch of the building. Nothing got by him, and if it did – well someone would inevitably pay. At the current point in time, however, he didn't care about any of those things. Kim had just gotten onto a flight headed for the largest city in America, and if that weren't one of the main targets than he didn't know what was. How did this happen? How did his daughter just _happen _to get involved in this? The one thing he desired most had become involved in his job again, and that pissed him off more than anything.  
Michelle Dessler turned to see Jack and smiled, walking over to give him a welcoming hug as he entered. "Hey, Jack, how've you been?" His nostrils were flared and his eyes were angry, he did not seem amused. Michelle didn't notice until she'd pulled away, and a concerned look crossed her face. "Oh, shit, what's happened?"  
"Why the _hell_ are planes still taking off? Every airport in the country should've been temporarily shut down!" Bauer yelled, and a scene seemed to be creating itself. The members of CTU began gathering, interested in what kind of meltdown would happen now.  
By this time Tony Almeida had worked his way over to the two of them, trying to calm things down. "What's the problem here?" Though he obviously knew: something had angered the agent.  
Dessler opened her mouth to speak, but Jack interrupted her without a second thought. "What's the _problem?" _His eye twitched in fury. "My daughter just got onto a plane headed for New York City, and I have no idea whether she's even going to land on the ground or not!"  
Tony looked at Michelle with a disappointed look on his face; a look that said it all. He was right: this day had just gotten a lot worse.  
"Jack, come up to my office." He tried to grab his friend's arm for support, but Bauer thrust it away in anger.  
"I can get myself up there, Mr. _Director._ You just make sure Kim is safe." And with that, he was already going up the stairs.

"Some fight, huh?" said Brandon Hughes, annoying Chloe O'Brian even further. Tony, Michelle, and Jack had disappeared into the director's office above them, leaving all the workers below to gossip about the recent events.  
Lindsey Daniels had also shown up to crowd around Chloe's desk, allowing her annoyance to rise up to an unbelievable level. "I know, right? I suppose Jack has the right to be worried, with his daughter on a flight and all."  
Then, she couldn't take it anymore. "Of course he has the right to be worried! His daughter may not be alive by this time tomorrow."  
Lindsey's eyes rose in surprise and she let out a cool breath of air. "Wow, O'Brian, letting your blunt personality get in the way of work, now, aren't we?"  
Chloe looked at Lindsey with an expressionless face, her anger rising by the second. "Just go back to your work, Daniels. You too, Hughes."  
They walked away from her desk, only to meet up behind a corner anyway. "What's her problem, anyway?" Brandon asked, looking back over to the agent typing away on her computer.  
"I don't know, but she's always been known for having a stick up her ass. At least, that's what I've heard." replied Lindsey, and the two looked at each other with a soft look before smirking.  
"You don't have a stick up your ass." Brandon said, wrapping his arms around her.  
"No, I don't." And with that, Agent Daniels and Agent Hughes disappeared within a storage closet to do the unthinkable – right in the midst of Counter Terrorist Unit.  
_…9:51:23_

_9:54:58  
_"Would someone just explain to me what the hell is going on here?" Jack Bauer demanded, pacing around Tony's office with the weight of the world on his shoulders.  
"Jack, calm down." said Almeida – big mistake.  
He looked at the director of CTU with such a fierce anger in his eyes, it was a wonder Tony didn't cringe. Unable to control his anger, Jack surged forward and pinned him against the wall, sending papers and all sorts of objects flying everywhere. "Calm down? _You_ do not tell me to calm down when my daughter could potentially be flying to her death right now. You do NOT tell me to calm down!"  
Michelle instinctively went for her gun, but realized that would be going _way _too far and instead just walked over to Bauer and tried to settle him. She needed to stop being so protective of her boyfriend, they could both fend for themselves. "Jack, we understand. You were called in so you could help us, maybe, find a lead. We can't do this without you, and you need to just calm down in order for us to help Kim."  
He looked at Tony in fury for a moment longer before settling down. Glancing between the couple, Jack tried not to show the extreme fear in his eyes; the fear for his daughter's life. The only thing left he truly cared about. "If she doesn't make it, her blood is on _your_ hands."  
Michelle nodded in response, but Tony stood there with his familiar snarl. "Good, now come on, Jack. We've got to start working on this right away."  
"Well have we found out what they're using to get into the oxygen tanks?" He asked as Tony walked over to his computer, getting all the recent findings up on screen.  
"No, we haven't found out exactly – but we believe they have a device that limits their hacking ability into the mainframe. That's why it won't show up on the firewall as a breach, they aren't actually in the computers, just part of the access clearance." replied Almeida, following with a silent gulp that led the room to silence. "Chloe tried; we can't back-hack them."  
No one spoke for some time, and Michelle and Tony looked at Jack as if waiting for a response. He stared intently at the monitor for a short while and, without warning, walked over to begin typing. "Howard Benson," Bauer began, not giving any further explanation until a member profile was up on the screen. He backed away for his fellow workers to see it. "He used to work for CTU as a technical analyst."  
"Used to?"  
"Yes. We had reason to believe he was conspiring with terrorists, and it resulted in his torture – he wasn't very happy when we found out we were wrong, and he quit. Benson is the _only_ person outside of CTU who has the capability to build this kind of device."  
Michelle looked dazed for a moment and interrupted, coming out of her quiet little corner. "Outside of CTU? What, we have someone who can build this kind of thing?"  
Jack nodded, staring out the office through tinted windows. "Yeah, Chloe O'Brian. She came as Benson's replacement, and if there's anyone who knows how to work a device like this – it's her."  
A warehouse, unnoticed and unknown, sat within the middle of about twenty other buildings just like it. Surely no one could find them, find what they're doing. A man, the largest and most threatening of them all, walked around to monitor everything going on. Of course, he was the leader of this operation – otherwise, none of the day's events would've occurred.  
"Johnston, are the flight patterns up and running?"  
The man, also known as Johnston, nodded in response as he typed away on a computer. The image of little green planes all over a satellite feed showing their exact destination lay sprawled across all different monitors, providing the sight for all the workers in the building.  
"Good, prepare to take the third one down within the hour. Then we'll make the call." He glanced at the screen one last time, focusing on one particular little green plane: Flight 774, scheduled to take off at approximately 9:32 A.M.

_…10:00:00_


	2. 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

**Day 2 ½: 10:00 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.**

_10:00:00 A.M._

"I set up the press conference, but, David, you're _sure_ you feel well enough?"

President Palmer looked at his brother and then, by habit, looked at his hand covered with scars – the memory of the attempt on his life. "I'm fine; just send Anne in before I go in to make sure everything's still stable."

No one but Wayne knew of his relationship with the physician, for none of his staff would think it a wise decision, especially after his recently filed divorce.

"Mr. President, _David!_" called Wayne, snapping Palmer back into reality.

"What?"

"When do you plan on coming public with this? You've got to start working on your re-election campaign soon, and announcing your involvement with your personal doctor may not be the best decision."

"I appreciate that, Wayne, but I think that's for my chief advisor to discuss with me, don't you?"

And with that, his brother sighed and left. President Palmer walked over to his phone and buzzed someone, requesting for Dr. Packard to come up. With another look at his hand, he traveled back to all the pain and the anger when he discovered they hadn't been able to find the criminal behind it.

"Mr. President?" said a familiar voice, and Dr. Anne Packard walked in.

"What happened to David?" He asked, walking over to her and putting his hands on her side. He swayed at the slightest, as if they were dancing to a nonexistent song.

"That's not a way to respect the president, sir. Now why'd you call me?"

David Palmer kissed the doctor on the lips for a second and then walked away to sit down on the couch. "Wayne thinks that I should be checked out before doing the press conference."

"Well, you were in the hospital for a while –"

"Not by my own wanting, they just found the need to keep me there."

Anne went and sat down by the president, putting her hand on his uninjured one. "Whoever tried to kill you came very close; as much as I hate to admit it…you're really lucky to be alive."

David couldn't look away from his hand, for he knew she was right.

"So this Howard Benson, he's our only lead?" Agent Almeida asked, pacing around the office.

"For the time being, do we have a location?" Jack asked as Michelle typed away on the computer, her eyes flickering from window to window.

"Just one second…" She said, and clicked a few more things before a new profile came up. "Howard Benson, it says he's currently unemployed and his last known location is –"

"Somerset Estates, suite 201. Got it, come on, Tony!" yelled Bauer, and he grabbed his jacket before rushing out of the office.

Tony looked out the door for a moment and then transferred his gaze to his girlfriend. "Look, Michelle, Jack's really worried about Kim. I need a couple of people here to work on finding her flight, otherwise he's going to be extremely difficult to work with." As he said this, he began scrambling around the office to find his keys, taking things out of his pocket and throwing them on top of the desk in a rush.

"No problem, hey!" Michelle yelled just as he was about to hurry out the door. "I love you."

He smirked at her, and Almeida's eyes couldn't help but shine as he gazed at her with such affection. "I love you too; I'll see you when I get back."

Michelle watched the two of them leave, though the only one she really focused on was Tony. Of course, she worried for Jack too, but if those two agents couldn't take care of themselves…well, agents everywhere were doomed. Once of the two of them were gone, she walked over to Tony's computer. Just as she was beginning to try and find out more about Benson, something caught her eye. Things were scattered all across Tony's desk, as he loved his mess, and Michelle had to agree: she loved it too. His famous Cubs mug with so much wear in it, as he'd used it every day for who-knows-how-long now, and – wait, what was that? A velvet box caught her eye, and she picked it up without hesitation. After feeling the smooth texture of it for a second, she thought it through. Looking at what hid away in this box would be snooping into Tony's business, and no matter how much she wanted to see it, she didn't need to know. If it truly mattered that much, Tony would have told her its contents by now. Setting it down, Michelle walked out of the room to get back to her work.

_…10:12:03_

_10:16:20_

Agent O'Brian skeptically looked to the side, at one door with the familiar CTU logo on it. It was hard to concentrate on her work when she knew two of her fellow workers were going at it, right in their workplace; especially when they had so much work to do. Finally, the two of them stepped out, and with a final smile they went their separate ways. Lindsey's shirt was off on the buttons, and Brandon's hair was ruffled in all sorts of place – anyone who didn't know what just happened was an idiot. Then again, Chloe was a little more observant.

"Hey," she began, walking away from her work and over to Hughes. "Can you wait to have sex with your girlfriend until _after _this crisis is over? I'd hate to report you to Tony." Brandon's eyes widened, but Chloe wasn't flustered. "Now I need those reports you were working on, remember?"

With those familiar pursed lips and an annoyed look on her face, Chloe walked back to her desk – or attempted to, until Brandon grabbed her arm. "Listen, O'Brian, you're not going to tell anyone about this, understand?"

She did have to admit, the anger in his eyes was creepy and a bit of a shock, but most definitely not frightening. "Just get me those reports, and we won't have a problem."

Chloe finally got back to her desk, but the unnerving look he gave her still crept up her spine. No one should get that angry, even with a simple threat such as hers.

"You ready?" Tony asked, and Jack nodded. The two walked down the hallway, moving along to locate the suite. 205…202… Everything seemed so innocent, for no one in this estate knew that a terrorist lie in their midst. The champagne colored walls seemed bland with the events about to occur, and finally they found the suite they were looking for.

Remaining silent, Agent Bauer flicked his head to indicate suite 201, and the two held up their guns in preparation. Counting off with his fingers, Jack reached zero and the two surged into the room.

"Don't move!" Jack yelled, instantly seeing that Benson was just sitting on the couch, calm as could be. Surprise overcame him, but he would not let it cloud his judgment. He moved forward and pointed the gun to his head, but the suspect didn't even flinch.

"I've been waiting for you, only you took longer to arrive than I thought." With that, he took a drink from his scotch and set it down on the table, acting calm and ignoring the fact that he was at gunpoint.

Agent Bauer cocked his gun, taking it off of safety to indicate that he was _not_ kidding around. "I said don't move; now you're going to tell us what you built for these people."

Tony began searching the apartment, trying to locate any evidence that may help their investigation. Benson, meanwhile, did not treat Jack as seriously as he should have. "Really, Jack? Am I? You might want to check up on Chloe O'Brian, who says she didn't build the device?"

"She's not responsible for this, unlike you, you son of a bitch. Give me names, _now!" _Screams could be heard throughout the halls now.

"Really, she's not responsible? And Nina Myers was innocent too! She acted real trustworthy, huh, Bauer?"

That was the final straw, and Jack pulled back his gun to shoot Benson in the thigh. With a deafening bang, the bullet went through and blood began to soak his pant leg and the sofa below him. Tony, hearing the gunshot, rushed in to see and angry Jack and a screaming Benson.

"Let's take him back to CTU, he's not giving us anything here." said Tony, trying to calm Jack down. Pulling out a pair of handcuffs, Bauer roughly pulled the suspect off the couch and tied his arms together with the tough metal. His veins popped out, and Tony began to wonder if Jack's emotions were blind sighted due to Kim – he began to wonder if, maybe, Jack couldn't handle it this time.

_…10:25:00_

_10:30:09_

"What's the update, Mr. Almeida?" David Palmer asked, pacing around his office as the press anxiously awaited his arrival just a few rooms away.

"We've got Howard Benson, sir. We believe he's the one who supplied the terrorists with the device, and we'll go as far as we have to in order to get the information out of him."

"Very well, let me know whenever he tells you something, understand?"

"Yes, Mr. President."

President Palmer hung up and straightened his jacket, taking a deep breath. This would be his first press conference since his recovery, and he knew this would be a defining point in his re-election: how he dealt with today's events. For right now, they couldn't afford to have the country at mass hysteria – for now, he'd have to hide back the truth.

He was escorted into the room, and instantly a thousand flashes hit his eyes as people began taking pictures. He'd gotten used to that by now. As he stepped up the podium, questions began shooting out of their mouths like daggers, each question more personal than the last. The president was not there to answer questions; he would be telling them a few simple things, and nothing more.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, today has been a tragic day in the history of America. The crashes of Flights 330 and 509 were a catastrophe, and we can only hope that the victims' families will find a way to pull through. I give them my sincere apologies." He paused, looking down in memory, before looking up with a more serious look. "We are currently looking into the matter of whether this is an unfortunate coincidence, or if this truly is a deliberate attack on our country. If it is the latter, I will personally make sure they pay greatly for the suffering they have caused. When we receive any further information, you will be the first to know. Thank you, that is all." One of the secret service agents helped him down, and questions continued being pelted – but one in particular caught President Palmer's attention.

"Sir! Is it true you and your personal physician, Dr. Anne Packard, are currently in a relationship?" The president turned, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"And where would you have heard a ridiculous thing like that?" Though he knew that the man could not reveal his sources, he was only left to wonder as the man wrote something down and he was escorted out.

"Are we ready?" said a man, speaking to his worker known as Johnston. Earphones were strapped to both of their faces, and Johnston murmured something inaudible into it.

"Almost," Johnston stated aloud, his eyes glued to the computer monitor. "We're a go, we just have to enter the pass key and the pilot's cabin will begin losing oxygen, as planned."

"Good, set it to crash in 15 minutes – if that's the plan, it will still crash by eleven this morning?" The leader asked his man, wiping a hand on his chin covered in five o'clock shadow.

"Definitely, would you rather call CTU before or after the crash?"

The leader smirked, turning away from the screen and taking his headphones off. "After; by now they will have gotten Benson. It's obvious he'll reveal something, but by the time he does it will be too late."

"Dessler," Michelle answered when the phone rang.

"It's Tony, we've got Benson. We're brining him in now for questioning." He went to hang up, but Michelle interrupted before he could.

"Wait, who's going to question him?"

He paused, not sure whether even _he_ approved of the decision. "Jack."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Michelle asked, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "His daughter's flight could be a potential target, and he probably won't react well to any information –"

"I thought about that, but he's the best interrogator we have right now. He kind of lost it back at the suite and shot Benson…"

"What?! Tony, you can't let him -!"

"We're here, I'll talk to you in a second." They both hung up, and Michelle groaned. Jack was proving to make this day a lot tougher.

_…10:44:57_

_10:48:15_

Jack slammed his hands down onto the table, his anger showing clearly on his face. "What is the next target?!" He yelled so loud it could be heard in the halls.

Tony and Michelle exchanged a glance of angst, unsure at whether their friend would lash out too much while interrogating. Remaining silent, Benson simply looked at Jack with an equally angry face. Unable to take it any longer, Agent Bauer walked over and pressed his gun to the fresh wound that he'd caused earlier. It began bleeding again and the criminal screamed in agony, a noise that could also be heard throughout the halls.

"I'll ask one more time, what is the next target?" He pressed harder, and finally pulled away after a few moments.

"Deep…sky." Benson spat out, sweat beading down his face and his breath heavy.

"What?" Jack said, rounding on him with his gun now lowered. "What did you just say?!"

But Bauer didn't need the man to repeat it. He rushed out of the interrogation room to reach the two agents in the other room, who were both just as shocked as he was. "How does he know our codes?"

Michelle interrupted, shaking her head. "No, he must've just remembered them from when he left."

"That's not possible," Tony began, thinking back to a few years earlier. "Mason told us we needed to change any of the ones Benson had access to. You don't know how angry he was, there was no chance he'd leave still faithful to his country." The name Mason brought them all back to eighteen months earlier when George Mason gave his life in order to prevent a nuclear bomb from going off in Los Angeles, and they couldn't help but swap a sad look before continuing the conversation.

"So, if he knows our current codes, that can only mean –"

"We've got a mole inside CTU." The three looked out to the bullpen where all the workers hustled, and couldn't believe that they could be experiencing a Nina Myers or a Jamey Farrell all over again.

"Bring it down." said the leader within the warehouse, and still no one knew what they were working on. The big group of people within the building, all working towards one common goal: to attack the country as much as possible. Johnston pressed a few buttons before hitting the 'enter' button, and then smiled.

"Done."

Jack walked back into the interrogation room, and by now Benson had calmed down. Before Bauer could even open his mouth, the other was speaking.

"You really want to know what the next target is? I'll tell you."

His expression remained the same: angry and serious. Jack leaned against the wall with his arms folded, only saying a few words. "Then tell me."

Benson laughed to himself and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the metal table in front of him. "Mr. Bauer, are you aware what flight your daughter is currently on?"

He couldn't hide his expression, Jack's eyes widened in fear and he rushed over, pushing the table aside and wrapping lifting Benson off the ground by his shirt. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"If everything is still on schedule and going as planned, Kimberly's flight should be crashing down right…about…" A pause. "Now."

His smug expression did not falter, even while he was being threatened. Jack looked back through the two-way mirror and, though he couldn't see them, he knew: Tony and Michelle were looked just as scared as he did.

But they would _never_ feel the same.

Kim Bauer anxiously tapped her fingers on the tray table in front of her. Only an hour and a half left, and she would be on the ground. The girl had so many things to do, but she couldn't focus on any of them with the thought in her head: she could be dead in five minutes. In the pilot's cabin, the only two people in there began feeling lightheaded.

"You feel dizzy?" the co-pilot asked hoarsely, and his companion could only nod. Both of their eyes widened as they realized: they were the next target, losing oxygen right then. The pilot pressed "cruise control" and walked over to try and unlock the door, but neither of them could make it far enough and they collapsed in their cabin, left to die.

…_11:00:00_


	3. 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM

**Authors Note;** I understand the particular _writing _of this isn't amazing, but I'm not very good with actiony stuff. Feelings/emotions are my strong suit. Still, I had a good idea and wanted to attempt writing it. So even if you hate the writing, I'd love reviews about the particular ideas I have :)  
This was a busy chapter...next will be even busier.  
Also, the Michelle and Tony fluff? Even if it's out of character, that's gotta be in there.

** Day 2 ½: 11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.**

_11:00:00 A.M.  
_President Palmer couldn't ignore the question he'd just had thrown at him. He paced around his office, hands folded at his stomach, wondering what he should do. Should he even act, or just let it pass? His brother seemed to think the latter would be more appropriate.  
"Wayne, who was that reporter?"  
"It hardly matters –"  
"The reporter's name, Wayne."  
"Henry, sir. Charles Henry, reporter for Newsweek, I believe."  
"Huh, well he's not smart enough to come up with a story like that on his own."  
"David –"  
"No, you're going to listen to me." David looked at his brother now, the anger and authority showing in his eyes. "That question didn't come out of nowhere; we need to find out if he knows something."  
Wayne paused for a moment before taking a step forward, speaking low as if no one else should hear. "Mr. President, you may not want to hear this, but is it possible that Anne could have –"  
"No, _no!_" David Palmer answered insistently, firm on his word. "Anne wouldn't do something like this, she's _nothing_ like Sherry." The mention of his ex-wife was a sore spot in the white house, and the president groaned in frustration. "Just see if you can find out who the lead is, alright? We don't know who leaked the information, but it could be as you said – the man comes up with some questions that just _happen_ to be correct."  
"I'll get on it." Wayne exited with a respectful nod and left the president with his thoughts.  
David had hoped this day wouldn't get any more complicated, and it just did.  
Jack Bauer, without even a second thought, rushed to the bullpen in order to locate a computer. All were occupied. "MOVE!" He yelled at Chloe O'Brian, whose look of shock made her jump out of the way as quick as possible. Jack began frantically typing in things, trying not to mess them up, while his daughter's flight number was located.

Kimberly Bauer: Flight 774  
Departure from Atlanta, GA: 9:32 A.M.  
Landing in New York City, NY: approx. 11:37 A.M.  
Status: **Departed**

The status remained the same, which was a good sign, right? He picked up the phone and frantically dialed the airport, silently cursing with each ring he heard. How could he have been so stupid, to not remember? She'd taken a flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta and stayed the night, if only he'd known…  
"International Transitions, where we get you where you need to be! By land, flight, or even sea! How may –"  
He didn't have time for this! "My name is federal agent Jack Bauer, regarding the threat against all flights made earlier this morning. Get me in contact with Flight 774, NOW!"  
The man's hot breath went into phone, annoying Jack even more. After the sound of this for a few seconds, the man finally said that he'd be transferred. By now, everyone was in CTU was staring at him, and he didn't give a shit. Nothing mattered unless his daughter and the rest of the people on that plane were safe.  
"Flight 774, this is flight attendant Jennifer Reynolds speaking."  
"Miss. Reynolds this is Jack Bauer, I'm with the government and we have reason to believe that your flight is a target." Sudden gasps of air and small screams were heard on the other side, and he grew impatient. "I need you to calm down and listen to me, walk over to the pilot's cabin and see if you can open the door."  
The woman managed to squeak out a 'yes', before slowly walking over to the door. Her knees shook and she couldn't believe she managed to make it over there, but she did. Reynolds banged on the door and called out a few times to no avail. "Mr. Bauer, there's no answer but we're still flying. How is that possible?"  
Jack closed his eyes and remained at a loss. He couldn't handle this. "I don't know, but miss; you need to get that door open somehow."  
"I can't! Flight attendants don't have any way of accessing the pilot's cabin, it's a safety protocol!"  
Suddenly Bauer came up with an idea, a slim chance nonetheless, but he would take it. He pulled the phone away from his ear and began yelling orders at O'Brian. "Chloe, I need you to pull up information on the Air Marshall of Flight 774 direct to New York. Make it quick." He barked, pulling the phone back up to his mouth. "Miss, I need you to remain calm. You're doing great. We're going to identify the Air Marshall located on your flight, and we need you to go and find him without letting any of the other passengers know what's going on. We don't want a panic to ensue."  
Reynolds squeaked out another yes and waited, leaving Jack to get more anxious and Chloe quickly tried to scan through all the files. "Got it!" She finally called after a few moments. "His name is Jacob Davidson; he's in row 23 in seat C. He has short black hair and blue eyes."  
The sound of a woman walking was heard as the flight attendant began walking up and down the isles. Jack tried to ignore the feeling he had; the knowing that there was a mole within CTU, listening to everything they said. He needed to transfer this to a private location. "Chloe, I need you in Tony's office." Jack transferred the line to upstairs and quickly rushed, trying to get back on the line before the woman answered.  
Only when he pressed speaker, a man began speaking. "Agent Bauer? This is Davidson; I understand you need me to unlock the pilot's cabin."  
"Yes, and I need you to do it _now._"  
Davidson walked over to the side of the door to the pilot's cabin, pulling aside a shield to reveal a keypad. After typing in a few numbers, the door opened. "I'm in." He informed, and a gasp of shock came after. "Shit, Agent Bauer, both of our pilots are down!" The air felt hot and airless, but a little oxygen from the rest of the plane managed to slowly vent through. He felt the pilots' pulses, hoping maybe the plane would have a chance. "No, they're dead."  
But wait, then how was the plane flying? Jack asked just that.  
Silence followed as the Air Marshall began searching, trying to find the reasoning behind this. "I believe they put the flight onto cruise control before going unconscious." A pause. "Mr. Bauer, I need to inform you that, due to safety reasons, cruise control will only work for a maximum of 20 minutes before it's automatically reset to manual."  
"How much time is left?"  
"Sir, we've got about ten minutes before this plane goes down."  
Jack looked at Chloe, who by now looked just as worried as he did. Someone on that plane had to fly it, or else no one would survive – including Kim.  
_…11:16:40_

_11:19:03  
_"Okay, Jacob, we have a plan."  
The Air Marshall ignored that he'd just been called by his first name, as the threat on his life and constant sweat beading down his face made that seem unimportant. It was hard enough to breathe without this tension of having to save an entire plane from falling to its death. Chloe typed away on Tony's computer, desperate to find a location where they could land safely.  
"We're going to give you instructions on how to fly the plane." Jack Bauer told the man, pausing as the reaction would not be good.  
"You expect me to fly this fucking plane?! There's no way in hell that's happening, we're all going to die!"  
"Sir, I need you to calm down." Michelle said from the other side of Jack, as she knew that her friend would lose his temper and patience much easier. He stepped to the side, turning away to hide his annoyed face as she did the job instead. "Sit down in the pilot's seat and take hold of the throttle."  
"No way, I can't do this."  
"You and the rest of the people on that flight will _die_ if you don't do this, you don't have a choice!" Jack yelled, and Tony tried to pull him away to no avail.  
Dessler ignored Jack, not diverting her attention from the phone. "Landing this flight is not as difficult as flying it, you're going to follow emergency procedure. We'll walk you through it. Now, Mr. Davidson, I need you to sit in the pilot's seat and take control of the throttle." She repeated, trying to calm him down.  
The sound of shuffling feet, followed by a voice, echoed throughout the room. "Okay, what now?"  
"In a moment, I'm going to have you take it off the cruise control setting. Before you do that, you're going to need to hold the throttle at a steady angle without moving it. Did you hear me? You cannot move it, or you'll be diverted from the scheduled landing we have available. One of our agents has identified a clearing in which you can land safely without running into anything, but I can't stress how important it is that you remain moving straight."  
"Okay, I g-g-got it. What do I do after that-t?"  
"You're going to slowly, repeat: _slowly_, move the throttle downward. It's going to be a really rough landing and the passengers will most likely panic. You need to concentrate and, as soon as you can see the ground right below, press the emergency landing button below the throttle and it will do the rest."  
"Alright…" Silence followed, and he spoke again. "No, I'm not prepared to land this plane!"  
"Listen to me, right now." Jack surged forward and began yelling, ignoring what everyone else told him. "LISTEN! You _will_ fly this plane, like I said: you do not have a choice. Put your hands on the throttle NOW and do as we say."  
It seemed the Air Marshall began fearing Jack more than he feared landing the flight itself. "Okay, okay! I can handle this; just tell me when to do what I'm supposed to."  
"We can't fly the plane for you, Davidson; you're going to have to do that part on your own." said Tony, jumping in for the first time. It seemed the frightened man on the plane didn't even notice the voice difference.  
"Okay, I'm taking it off cruise control." He seemed to be on autopilot himself, no longer acting with his emotions clouding his thoughts. A thousand different sounds went off as he did so, and a few screams from the passengers could be heard. "I'm trying to hold it steady, but it seems that there's something else I have to do!" Davidson shouted above the noise.  
"Sir, you need to start moving the throttle down _now_!" Agent Dessler called urgently, and the tension in the room began to rise along with the suspense.  
The screams on the other side continued, and silence followed from the man flying the plane. Five seconds passed…ten…fifteen…Until finally:  
"The ground is close! When do I press the emergency landing brakes?!"  
"Now!" They couldn't ignore the fact that this man seemed idiotic, quite unqualified to be an Air Marshall.  
A multitude of sounds were heard over the intercom, such as the continuous screams and bumps as the plane made a rough landing – or so they hoped. All at once, the sounds died down and it seemed the world slowed down. The room they stood in became silent, and the seconds ticked by…just as they began to give up hope, the sounds reappeared.  
"Agent Bauer, Agent Dessler, this is Air Marshall Davidson. We've made a rough landing, but everyone on board seems to be alright." He informed them, and they all let out a sigh of extreme relief.  
"That's fantastic news, Mr. Davidson, you did a great job and we send our gratitude for what you did today. A rescue team will be sent out to assist you and help any of those who may have been injured." answered Michelle, and when the line ended from the other side, the dial tone continued on before one of them finally pressed end.  
…_11:31:57_

_11:35:29  
_"So what happened? Did Benson reveal something?" Chloe O'Brian finally asked to break the silence, her gaze transferring between her three friends.  
"Yes, he did." Michelle answered, holding a hand to her forehead in order to push a few annoying curls out of her face. The stress was getting to all of them.  
Tony finished for her, also closing his eyes in pressure. "There's a mole inside CTU, and they've been revealing all our codes and who _knows_ what else to him."  
"Do you have any leads?" Chloe asked, her gaze suddenly looking at an invisible object.  
"Nope, we've got to keep working on Benson." Jack said before beginning to make his way towards the door.  
"No, Jack," Tony started, looking up and walking over to hold the door closed. "It's my turn; it's obvious you went too far in there."  
"_What?_" Agent Bauer said, his mouth slightly open in shock and anger. "I get you this information and this is how you repay me?"  
"Just give me a chance so you can calm down, see if you can contact Kim." saying this seemed to calm Jack down, and he retreated to let Tony through. But he didn't make it very far before someone came charging in through CTU, making as much noise as possible.  
"What the _hell_ is going on here?!" Ryan Chappelle said as he stormed in, suit and all. "I decide to stay at division for an extra hour or so, and this place goes insane? Well, answer me!" His eyes carried over to Jack, and immediately his face softened to make an emotionless look. "I should've known, Bauer, what have you done this time?"  
Through everything that had happened in the past few hours, he just couldn't take it anymore. Jack rushed forward and, holding himself back from attacking Chappelle right then and there, he got up in his face enough to see a little fear. "You listen to me and you listen good, I've just spent the last couple of hours here when I'm not even supposed to be _working_. Now, after saving a flight of hundreds of passengers, my reward is _you_ coming here to yell at us for doing everything wrong. If it weren't for me, everyone on that flight would be _dead_, so I suggest you move along instead of acting like today's events are CTU's fault!" Most definitely not the appropriate words when dealing with a boss, but Ryan Chappelle didn't dare take on Jack Bauer. The fearful leader walked up to Tony's office and Agent Bauer walked away, his face twitching with the fury overcoming him.  
"Now I'm going to ask you again, Benson. Who within CTU is working for you?"  
"Shove it up your ass, Almeida."  
Benson knew what he was doing; he'd gone through it all before. He was easy to be broken with the right force, but it became increasingly obvious that normal interrogation would get absolutely nothing. He walked out to see his wife Michelle thinking seriously, ignoring whatever he did.  
"Yeah, bring Richards in." Agent Almeida said before hanging up, only to find that his girlfriend was now paying attention.  
"Richards is going in now?" She paused, smiling with a little chuckle. "I know what happens next; I don't need to see it. It's alright if I go look at computer records? Maybe we'll get lucky and the mole is an idiot."  
He nodded, only half-listening. Tony began wondering how long it would take to get the information out of Benson. Minutes, hours? No, they didn't have that kind of time. They'd have to work fast. The director snapped out of his thoughts and saw Michelle heading for the door, but he wouldn't allow her to rush away so easily. "Hey!"  
She turned and he pulled her into a passionate kiss, for he couldn't get enough of her. They'd barely survived the day of the bomb threats eighteen months back, and he didn't want to risk their relationship. Tony pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, cupping her cheek lightly with his hand.  
"What was that for?" She whispered with a giddy smile, her eyes looking dizzy and confused. God, she was cute.  
"You're not letting your relationship interfere with your work, are you? Almeida, Dessler?" Chappelle asked as he walked in with Richards, his eyes narrowed and a tight frown on his face.  
"Of course not, Michelle was just going to check the computers." He responded coldly, the bitterness of his boss really eating at his patience. As Michelle turned to leave, Tony turned to Richards, who stood silently in the corner.  
"Go straight for 4 CC's, we don't have the time to go slow. He needs to talk, and now."  
_…11:46:17_

_11:50:09  
_Sweat trickled down Howard Benson's neck as he tried to fight the pain, finding the attempt to no avail. Agent Richards' briefcase sat on the metal table and he walked around, needle in hand, ready to be shot into the suspect's neck once again.|  
"I'm going to ask again, Mr. Benson, who is the mole?"  
When only silence followed, Richards replied with a nod and proceeded to inject 6 CC's into the terrorist's neck. Almost instantaneously, he began screaming and shaking uncontrollably with the pain coursing through his veins and radiating to the rest of his body. Richards, a specialist at this sort of thing, remained unaffected by any of the occurrences.  
"The next injection risks the possibility of a heart attack; we're prepared to take that chance. But are you?"  
When another period of silence followed, Richards went for another injection, only to be stopped by a loud shouting from none other than his suspect. "No, no! Okay, I'll tell you!"  
Anger had completely covered Benson's face by now, and he looked dark and unforgiving. "You…shouldn't immediately trust everyone who seems so…honest and innocent."  
Michelle's eyes scanned Tony's computer as she stood by his desk, unable to sit after she'd reached such a high point. She'd needed the privacy of his office, and it turned out it was worth it – the mole had been discovered. At first, it seemed hopeless, as though there would be no chance of finding a shred of evidence. That is, until Agent Dessler decided to access the recycling bin of a random computer in the office. Every other agent with a strong level of clearance had been checked once, and then checked again. As soon as Dessler realized there was _one_ particular person she hadn't checked, it all seemed to fit together. Important phone records had been deleted, and the numbers had been blocked by an unknown encryption, along with a ton of other things that immediately identified who was responsible.  
Who Benson had been talking about when he mentioned the mole, and more importantly: someone he had mentioned before, but no one had believed his crackpot theory.

Chloe O'Brian.

"Tony! Chloe's the mole; she's had access to everything!" Michelle shouted through the phone, mostly in disbelief. How could such a trusted friend have betrayed them like this? She felt as though she were jumping to conclusions, but the evidence had clearly been there. A new agent, Chloe was, and a great one at that – but apparently everyone had been wrong.  
"I know, Benson just told us. I've called security; can you see her at her desk?"  
Michelle looked through the tinted window and saw O'Brian sitting at her station, and found herself unable to identify whether it was a good thing or bad. They had to get Chloe out of there without making a huge announcement to all of CTU, for they didn't know who else could be involved. Or how bad Chloe had compromised them.  
"Okay, wait, security is getting her now." She became shocked when Chloe didn't even need an explanation; she just got up and followed the officer to a holding room.  
As if she had expected herself to get caught…as if she knew that they would find out, discover what she had done. That didn't fit the profile of a terrorist.  
Not at all.

…_12:00:00_


End file.
